Mets 9 Nationals 7 (Nationals Park, Washington, DC)
Mets record: 41-41
Mets streak: Won 1
WP - Jake Diekman (2-2)
LP - Hunter Harvey (2-2)
SV - Reed Garrett (4)
Seat on the Korner: JD Martinez
We select the star of the game and virtually invite him to a Seat on the Korner, just as Ralph Kiner used to do for his studio postgame show on WOR-channel 9 broadcasts in the early decades of the Mets.
In the midst of an 0-12 slump, and just one day after failing to come through in extra innings against the Houston Astros, Mets DH JD Martinez hit a 10th inning 3-run home run to give the Mets a 6-3 lead. It was Martinez's 10th home run of the season, and the second time he's hit one to put the Mets ahead in their final inning. The four-bagger also extended the Mets home run streak to 14 straight games, their longest such streak this season.
Need to Know
Harrison Bader started in center field for the Mets in place of Brandon Nimmo who fainted in his hotel bathroom last night and hit his head when he fell. Nimmo was released from the hospital earlier today after tests revealed he did not sustain a concussion. Nimmo was in the dugout for tonight's game, albeit with a bandage on his head, where he watched Bader go 2-4 with 2 stolen bases and 2 runs scored in his absence. Nimmo expects to return to the Mets lineup soon.
The Mets are now 12-10 against the National League east this year, including winning 8 of their last 10 games within the division.
The Mets have gone 10-2 in their last 12 games, and with the 9 spot tonight, they've scored 64 runs in those 10 wins.
With their 9 runs tonight, the Mets have now scored 175 runs in their last 27 games (dating back to May 30th), averaging just under 6.5 runs per game.
Nationals starting pitcher Mackenzie Gore held the Mets scoreless through the first 5 innings, a far cry from his previous start against them (June 3rd), in which he gave up 6 runs on 7 hits and 4 walks in 4.1 innings.
Francisco Alvarez went 2-5 with 3 RBIs. His 2-out 2-RBI double in the 6th put the Mets ahead 3-2, and his run-scoring triple, the first triple of his career, provided an important insurance run in the 10th.
Turning Point
In an impressive act of redemption, Mets right fielder Tyrone Taylor made a game-saving catch to end the bottom of the 9th and send the game into extra innings. Just an inning earlier, Taylor misplayed a Joey Menses blooper, allowing the tying run to score. In the 9th, however, it was a Jake Diekman error that put the Mets in a tough situation, allowing leadoff batter James Wood to reach second with nobody out. Two outs later, with Wood still on second, Jacob Young hit a line drive to right field that Taylor was just able to snag.
Three Keys
Pretty Impressive Peterson
Mets starting pitcher David Peterson turned in his best start since the last time he faced the Nationals, about a month ago. The lefty struggled a bit early, most significantly in the third inning when a walk and three straight singles led to a 2-0 Nationals lead. From there things went much more smoothly, as Peterson did not walk another batter for the rest of the game. While he only had 2 K's, he was able to rely on the fielders behind him to keep him out of trouble. He pitched into the 7th inning and was removed after allowing a 1-out single to Nats catcher Keibert Ruiz.
Clutch Vientos
Lost in all the extra-inning hoopla is that the Mets first run scored on a 6th inning 2-out single by Mark Vientos, on an 0-2 count, no less. It was Vientos 26th RBI this season. With his 2-4 evening, the Mets young third baseman is now batting .356 in road games (21-59), which is among the tops in the majors (with a minimum of 50 at-bats).
OMG a HR
Mets infielder and lead singer, Jose Iglesias, hit his first home run since joining the team with a 2-run blast to center in the 10th inning. At the time, it seemed like the home run was additional padding on an already sizable lead, as it put the Mets up 9-3. In the end, the Iglesias round-tripper was the difference in the game, as the Mets ended up holding on to win by those 2 runs. The home run was the 48th of his career, and the first since 2022 when he was with the Colorado Rockies. Iglesias is now batting an even .400 in his first 19 games (45 ABs) with the Mets.